Cleaning of Pet Areas by Autonomous Cleaning Robots

ABSTRACT

An autonomous cleaning robot includes a drive operable to move the autonomous cleaning robot across a floor surface; a cleaning assembly configured to clean the floor surface; a receiver configured to receive an indication of cat activity in a cat box; and a controller configured to navigate the autonomous cleaning robot to the cat box to execute a cleaning mission in response to the received indication of cat activity.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation application of, and claims priorityto, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/663,684, now U.S. Pat. No.11,191,407, filed on Oct. 25, 2019, which is a continuation applicationclaiming priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/264,268, nowU.S. Pat. No. 10,463,217, filed on Jan. 31, 2019. The contents of eachare incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Cleaning robots include mobile robots that autonomously perform cleaningtasks within an environment, e.g., a home. Many kinds of cleaning robotsare autonomous to some degree and in different ways. The cleaning robotsinclude a controller that is configured to autonomously navigate thecleaning robot about the environment such that the cleaning robot canperform a mopping function or ingest debris as it moves.

SUMMARY

In an aspect, an autonomous cleaning robot includes a drive operable tomove the autonomous cleaning robot across a floor surface; a cleaningassembly configured to clean the floor surface; a receiver configured toreceive an indication of cat activity in a cat box; and a controllerconfigured to navigate the autonomous cleaning robot to the cat box toexecute a cleaning mission in response to the received indication of catactivity.

Embodiments can include one or more of the following features.

One or more signals transmitted from the cat box is a source of theindication that the cat box needs to be cleaned. One or more sensorsmonitoring the cat box initiate transmission of the one or more signals.Monitoring the cat box includes sensing presence of a cat or sensingpresence of debris scattered proximate to the cat box.

The cleaning mission includes a first stage where a side brush of theautonomous cleaning robot is not active, and a second stage where theside brush of the autonomous cleaning robot is active.

In an aspect, an autonomous cleaning robot includes a drive operable tomove the autonomous cleaning robot across a floor surface; a cleaningassembly configured to clean the floor surface; a receiver configured toreceive an indication of pet activity in a pet area; and a controllerconfigured to navigate the autonomous cleaning robot to the pet area toexecute a cleaning mission in response to the received indication of petactivity.

Embodiments can include one or more of the following features.

One or more signals transmitted from pet equipment located in the petarea is a source of the indication that the pet area needs to becleaned. One or more sensors monitoring the pet equipment initiatetransmission of the one or more signals. Monitoring the pet equipmentincludes sensing presence of a pet or sensing presence of debrisscattered at pet area.

A parameter of the cleaning mission depends upon the pet area that needsto be cleaned. The parameter includes a vacuum power level of theautonomous cleaning robot. When the pet area includes a bird cage, thevacuum power level of the autonomous cleaning robot is higher than whenthe pet area includes pet equipment for a dog or cat.

The parameter includes a type of cleaning by the autonomous cleaningrobot.

A vacuum power level of the autonomous cleaning robot is increasedduring the cleaning mission to ventilate an undesirable scent at the petarea. The autonomous cleaning robot includes a hookup to attach theautonomous cleaning robot to a port of pet equipment at the pet area forventilating an undesirable scent.

The autonomous cleaning robot includes a hookup to attach the autonomouscleaning robot to a port of pet equipment at the pet area forventilating an undesirable scent.

The cleaning assembly is configured to vacuum debris from the floorsurface.

An underside portion of the autonomous cleaning robot includes acleaning pad holder for attaching a cleaning pad configured to holdliquid.

In an aspect, a method of operating an autonomous cleaning robotincludes receiving, at a computing device, an indication of activity ofa pet at a pet area; determining a cleaning mission and one or morecleaning mission parameters for cleaning the pet area; and initiating,to the autonomous cleaning robot, a transmission including data forcausing the autonomous cleaning robot to initiate the cleaning missionusing the one or more cleaning mission parameters.

Embodiments can include one or more of the following features.

The one or more cleaning parameters represent a start time for thecleaning mission, the start time being provided by a user handheldcomputing device.

Sensor monitoring of pet equipment at the pet area provides theindication of the pet activity at the pet area.

The method includes determining one or more of the cleaning missionparameters based on a characteristic of the pet area. One of thecleaning mission parameters includes a vacuum power level, and includingdetermining the vacuum power level based on an identity of the pet area.

One of the cleaning mission parameters includes a vacuum power level forventilating an undesirable scent.

One of the cleaning mission parameters includes a wet or dry moppingsetting.

The approaches to cleaning of pet areas by autonomous cleaning robots asdescribed here can have one or more of the following advantages. Petdebris left in a pet area by a pet, e.g., a cat using a litter box, adog entering through a pet door, a bird eating seeds in its cage, can becleaned promptly and efficiently. The ability to detect an indication ofpet activity at a pet area and in response deploy an autonomous cleaningrobot to clean the pet area reduces the burden on the pet owner toattend to cleaning tasks typically associated with pet ownership. Bycleaning pet areas promptly, less pet debris is tracked around otherareas, such as other rooms of a house, contributing to generallyenhanced household cleanliness.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features andadvantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and fromthe claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 2-5 are diagrams of example environments for anautonomous cleaning robot.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are process flow diagrams.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart.

FIGS. 9A-9C are diagrams of an autonomous cleaning robot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein is an approach to deploying an autonomous cleaningrobot, such as a vacuum cleaning robot or a mopping robot, to clean apet area, such as the area in the vicinity of a litter box, dog door,pet food or water dish, bird or small animal cage, or other type of petarea. Sensors in the pet area detect signals indicative of pet activityin the pet area, such as the presence of a pet in the pet area, motionin the pet area, or the presence of pet debris, such as food, litter,dirt, or pet hair, in the pet area. Responsive to the detection of petactivity in the pet area, an autonomous cleaning robot can be deployedto execute a cleaning mission in the pet area. The deployment of theautonomous cleaning robot can be automatic, e.g., based on an automateddetermination that the signals sensed by the sensors in the pet area areindicative of pet activity; or can be in response to user input, e.g.,based on a user viewing information indicative of the detected signals.

Referring to FIG. 1A, in an example environment 100, an autonomouscleaning robot 110 is operable to clean a pet area 120 in the vicinityof a litter box 122, such as a litter box for a cat. The autonomouscleaning robot 110 can be operable to clean pet debris 124 from thefloor or other surface on which the litter box 122 is disposed. The petdebris 124 can include cat litter that has been tracked out of thelitter box 122, e.g., when a cat exits the litter box 122. The petdebris 124 can include other types of debris, such as dirt, cat hair, orother debris.

In some examples, the autonomous cleaning robot 110 can be configuredfor vacuum cleaning. In some examples, an autonomous cleaning robot canemploy a wet cleaning pad configured to hold liquid and to be usedduring a mopping cleaning mission (e.g., autonomous cleaning robot 111shown in FIG. 5). In some examples, the autonomous cleaning robot 111(again referring briefly to FIG. 5) can employ a dry cleaning padconfigured to be used for sweeping or dusting. In some examples, asingle autonomous cleaning robot can be configured for both vacuumcleaning and mopping, and can be operable to clean the pet area 120 byfirst vacuum cleaning the pet area and then mopping the pet area. Insome examples, a set of autonomous cleaning robots can be operable toclean the pet area 120 as a team. For instance, a first autonomouscleaning robot (e.g., the autonomous cleaning robot 110) can vacuumclean the pet area, and subsequently a second autonomous cleaning robot(e.g., the autonomous cleaning robot 111 of FIG. 5) can mop the petarea.

A sensor 130 in the pet area 120 is configured to sense a characteristicof the pet area 120 indicative of pet activity in the pet area 120. Anindication of pet activity can include an indication of the presence ofa pet or pet debris in the pet area. Example characteristics indicativeof pet activity in a pet area can include, e.g., the presence of petdebris 124 outside the litter box, the presence of a pet in or near thelitter box, the exiting of a pet from the litter box, the sound of catlitter hitting the floor, or another characteristic of the pet area. Thesensor 130 can be incorporated into the litter box 122 (as shown in FIG.1), e.g., integrated into or attached to a wall or base of the litterbox, or can be disposed in the pet area 120.

In some examples, the sensor 130 can be an optical sensor, such as acamera, that captures images of an exterior of the litter box 122, e.g.,that can be analyzed to detect the presence of pet debris 124 outside ofthe litter box 122. In some examples, the sensor 130 can be an opticalsensor, such as a camera, that can detect the presence of a cat in thelitter box 122. In some examples, the sensor 130 can be a motion sensorthat detects motion in the vicinity of the litter box 122, e.g., motionof a cat entering or exiting the litter box 122. The motion sensor canbe sensitive to a direction of the motion, e.g., to distinguish betweena cat entering the litter box and a cat exiting from the litter box. Insome examples, the sensor 130 can be a weight sensor that detects aweight of contents of the litter box 122, which can be indicative of,e.g., the presence of a cat in the litter box. In some examples, thesensor 130 can be a pressure sensor, such as a capacitive sensor havinga capacitance that changes with applied pressure, that can detect apressure applied by the contents of the litter box 122, e.g., indicativeof the presence of a cat in the litter box. In some examples, the sensor130 can be an acoustic sensor that detects the sound of cat litterscattering on the floor. Other types of sensors 130 can also be used,such as an infrared sensor, a break sensor, or another type of sensorcapable of sensing a characteristic of the pet area 120 indicative ofpet activity in the pet area 120.

A transmitter 132 is electronically coupled to the sensor 130, e.g., bya wired or wireless connection, such as a short-range wirelessconnection. In some examples, the transmitter 132 transmits signalsdetected by the sensor 130 to a remote computing device 140, such as acloud-based computing system, via a wired or wireless connection, suchas a wireless Internet connection. In some examples, the signalstransmitted by the transmitter 132 can provide identification of thetype of pet area 120, e.g., a litter box 122, a dog food bowl, a birdcage, a dog door, or another type of pet area.

The remote computing device 140 processes the signals to determinewhether the signal is indicative of pet activity in the pet area 120(discussed further below). When it is determined that the signal isindicative of pet activity, the remote computing device 140 transmits acommand to the autonomous cleaning robot 110 instructing the autonomouscleaning robot 110 to execute a cleaning mission in the pet area 120. Acleaning mission is a period of operation of the autonomous cleaningrobot 110 in which the autonomous cleaning robot cleans a floor surfaceaccording to a set of cleaning parameters, including schedulingparameters (e.g., start time, duration), execution parameters (e.g.,vacuum power level, type of cleaning), and navigational parameters(e.g., an indication of the area to be cleaned). In some examples,executing a cleaning mission in the pet area 120 can include cleaningthe pet area 120 and all areas within a specified range (e.g., 1-5 feet)of the pet area. In some examples, executing a cleaning mission in thepet area 120 can include a first stage of vacuum cleaning the pet area120 and all areas within a specified range of the pet area using aspecified vacuum power level, and a second stage of wet mopping the petarea 120.

In some examples, the cleaning mission can include multiple stages. Forinstance, the cleaning mission can include a first stage in which theautonomous cleaning robot 110 cleans the pet area 120 with a side brushof the autonomous cleaning robot not being active, and a second stage inwhich the autonomous cleaning robot 110 again cleans the pet area withthe side brush activated. Operation of the side brush of an autonomouscleaning robot 110 can cause debris in the path of the autonomouscleaning robot to be scattered, e.g., pet debris 124 can be scatteredoutside the pet area 120 by operation of the side brush. This exampletwo-stage cleaning mission helps to reduce such scattering of debris.

When the autonomous cleaning robot 110 receives a command to execute acleaning mission in the pet area 120, the autonomous cleaning robot 110navigates to the location of the pet area 120 to execute the cleaningmission according to the command, e.g., according to one or morecleaning parameters for the cleaning mission (discussed further below).In some examples, the location of the pet area 120 can be identified byan imaging device, such as a camera, on the autonomous cleaning robot110. For instance, the autonomous cleaning robot 110 can explore anarea, such as a room, until the camera captures an image of the pet area120, and the autonomous cleaning robot 110 can then navigate to the petarea 120. In some examples, the location of the pet area 120 can beidentified by user indication, e.g., by user input into a user interfaceof a computing device. In some examples, the location of the pet area120 can be identified by wireless (e.g., Wi-Fi) localization. In someexamples, the autonomous cleaning robot 110 can have previouslygenerated a map of an area, such as a room, in which the pet area 120 islocated, and the autonomous cleaning robot 110 can rely on thepreviously generated map in navigating to the pet area 120.

In some examples, the litter box 122 can include a port 134, such as anopening, a door or hatch, or a port sized and dimensioned to interlockwith a mating feature, such as a hookup, on the autonomous cleaningrobot 110. In operation, the autonomous cleaning robot 110 can be avacuum cleaning robot that can move near the port 134 and can suck inair from the interior of the litter box 122 through the port 134. Theair sucked in through the port 134 can be passed through a filter of theautonomous cleaning robot 110, e.g., to ventilate an undesirable scentin the interior of the litter box 122. In some examples, the autonomouscleaning robot 110 can suck in and filter air in the general vicinity ofthe litter box 122, e.g., to ventilate an undesirable scent in thegeneral vicinity of the litter box 122. In some examples, a vacuum powerof the autonomous cleaning robot 110 can be increased for a scentventilation portion of the cleaning mission.

Referring to FIG. 1B, in an example environment 150, the transmitter 132transmits signals detected by the sensor 130 to a mobile device 142,such as a mobile phone, tablet, wearable computing device, or other typeof mobile computing device. Information based on the transmitted signalscan be presented on a display interface of the mobile device 142, e.g.,for review by a user 144. The user 144 can provide an input into themobile device 142 indicating that the user would like the autonomouscleaning robot 110 to clean the pet area 120, e.g., when the userdetermines that the signals are indicative of pet activity in the petarea 120. In some examples, responsive to receipt of the user input, themobile device 142 can transmit a command to the autonomous cleaningrobot 110 instructing the autonomous cleaning robot 110 to execute acleaning mission in the pet area 120. In some examples, responsive toreceipt of the user input, the mobile device 142 can transmit a signalto the remote computing device 140, which can then transmit a command tothe autonomous cleaning robot 110 instructing the autonomous cleaningrobot 110 to execute a cleaning mission in the pet area 120.

Referring to FIG. 2, in an example environment 200, the autonomouscleaning robot 110 is operable to clean a pet area 220 in the vicinityof a pet door, such as a pet door 222 installed in a larger door 226,such as the door of a house. In the example of FIG. 2, the sensor 130and transmitter 132 are incorporated into the pet door 222, e.g.,integrated into or attached to the pet door 222. In some examples, thesensor 130 and transmitter 132 can be disposed elsewhere in the pet area220, such as on the larger door, a door frame, on a nearby wall, orelsewhere. The sensor 130 is configured to sense a characteristic of thepet area 220 indicative of pet activity in the pet area 220, such as thepresence of pet debris 224 such as dirt, footprints, or pet hair; thepresence of a pet in the pet area 220; the motion of the pet door 222,the sound of a pet scratching on the pet door 220; or anothercharacteristic of the pet area.

In some examples, the sensor 130 can be an optical sensor, such as acamera, that captures images of the floor in front of the pet door 222,e.g., that can be analyzed to detect the presence of pet debris 224. Insome examples, the sensor 130 can be a motion sensor that detects motionof the pet door 222. The motion sensor can be sensitive to a directionof the motion, e.g., to distinguish between a pet entering the pet door222 and a pet exiting from the pet door 222. In some examples, thesensor 130 can be an acoustic sensor that detects the sound of an animalscratching at the pet door 222. Other types of sensors 130 can also beused in conjunction with the pet door 222.

Referring to FIG. 3, in an example environment 300, the autonomouscleaning robot 110 is operable to clean a pet area 320 in the vicinityof a bird cage 322. In the example of FIG. 3, the sensor 130 andtransmitter 132 are incorporated into the structure of the bird cage322, e.g., integrated into or attached to the bird cage 322 and itsbase. In some examples, the sensor 130 and transmitter 132 can bedisposed elsewhere in the pet area 320. The sensor 130 is configured tosense a characteristic of the pet area 320 indicative of pet activity inthe pet area 320, such as the presence of pet debris 324 such as food orfeathers on the ground; the motion of pet debris falling to the ground;or another characteristic of the pet area.

Referring to FIG. 4, in an example environment 400, the autonomouscleaning robot 110 is operable to clean a pet area 420 in the vicinityof a cage 422 for a small animal, such as a rabbit, guinea pig, hamster,or other small animal. In the example of FIG. 4, the sensor 130 andtransmitter 132 are incorporated into the structure of the cage 422,e.g., integrated into or attached to the cage 422. In some examples, thesensor 130 and transmitter 132 can be disposed elsewhere in the pet area420. The sensor 130 is configured to sense a characteristic of the petarea 420 indicative of pet activity in the pet area 420, such as thepresence of pet debris 424 such as food, pet hair, or cage liningmaterial (e.g., hay or wood chips); or another characteristic of the petarea.

Referring to FIG. 5, in an example environment 500, two autonomouscleaning robots 110, 111 are operable (e.g., by vacuuming, mopping,etc.) to clean a pet area 520 in the vicinity of a pet food bowl 522 anda pet water dish 526. Pet debris 524 in the pet area 520 can be, e.g.,spilled pet food, pet hair, spilled water, or other types of pet debris.The autonomous cleaning robots 110, 111 can be different types ofcleaning robots. For instance, the autonomous cleaning robot 110 can bea robot configured for a vacuum cleaning mission and the autonomouscleaning robot 111 can be a robot configured for a wet mopping mission.

A sensor 130 a and transmitter 132 a are incorporated into the pet foodbowl 522, e.g., integrated into or attached to the pet food bowl 522. Asensor 130 b and transmitter 132 b are incorporated into the pet waterdish 526. Each transmitter 132 a, 132 b transmits signals detected bythe corresponding sensors 130 a, 130 b, respectively. In some examples,the sensors 130 a, 130 b are the same type of sensor. For instance, thesensors 130 a, 130 b can be optical sensors that capture images of a petat the pet food bowl 522 and the pet water dish 524, respectively. Insome examples, the sensors 130 a, 130 b can be different types ofsensors. For instance, the sensor 130 a can be an acoustic sensor thatdetects the sound of pet food hitting the floor, and the sensor 130 bcan be a weight sensor that detects decreasing weight of the water inthe pet water dish 524.

When pet activity has been detected in the pet area 520, a command istransmitted to one or both autonomous cleaning robots 110, 111 withinstructions for a cleaning mission. The autonomous cleaning robot towhich the command is transmitted can depend on the sensor that detectedthe characteristic indicative of pet activity in the pet area 520. Forinstance, detection by the sensor 130 a of pet food spilled on the floorcan result in the command being transmitted to the vacuum cleaning robot110, while detection by the sensor 130 b of decreasing water volume inthe pet water dish 524 can result in the command being transmitted tothe wet mopping robot 111.

Referring to FIG. 6, in an example process flow for causing theautonomous cleaning robot 110 to execute a cleaning mission in a petarea 620, a sensor in the pet area senses (650) a characteristic of thepet area 620 indicative of pet activity in the pet area. Thecharacteristic of the pet area 620 can be, e.g., the presence of ananimal in the pet area, the motion of an animal entering or exiting thepet area, the presence of pet debris in the pet area, or anothercharacteristic. A signal is transmitted (652) from the pet area 620 to aremote computing device, e.g., via a wired or wireless Internetconnection. For instance, the remote computing device can be acloud-based computing system 140 having one or more processors 141. Insome examples, signals can be transmitted intermittently, e.g., when asensor in the pet area 620 has sensed a characteristic (e.g., motion).In some examples, signals can be transmitted periodically or streamed.

In some examples, receipt of a signal at the cloud-based computingsystem 140 is sufficient to trigger a determination that the signal isindicative of pet activity in the pet area 620. For instance, when thepet area 620 includes a pet door, a motion sensor may provide a signalonly when motion is detected, and receipt of a signal detected by amotion sensor can be sufficient to indicate pet activity in the pet area620. In some examples, the cloud-based computing system 140 can processone or more received signals to determine whether the signals areindicative of pet activity in the pet area 620. In an example, thecloud-based computing system 140 can perform image processing of imagestransmitted from the pet area 620 to identify the presence of pet debrisin the pet area 620. In another example, the cloud-based computingsystem 140 can determine whether a change in weight or capacitancebetween successive signals is indicative that a cat has exited a litterbox in the pet area 620.

When it is determined that pet activity has been detected in the petarea 620, the cloud-based computing system 140 determines (654) cleaningparameters for the cleaning mission. Cleaning parameters can include,e.g., scheduling parameters (such as a start time or a duration),execution parameters (such as a vacuum power level or a type ofcleaning, e.g., spot cleaning, edge cleaning, vacuum cleaning, wetcleaning, etc.), and navigational parameters (e.g., an indication of anarea to be cleaned, such as a range from a target location or a boundarydefining the area to be cleaned). In some examples, the start time caninclude a delay after the animal has left the pet area, e.g., to helpreduce the risk that the animal may continue to soil the pet area. Insome examples, the cleaning parameters can depend on the nature of thepet area 620, such as the type of pet area (e.g., litter box, food dish,pet door, bird cage, etc.). For instance, if the pet area 620 includes abird cage, the cleaning parameters can indicate a more intensivecleaning, e.g., a higher vacuum power for a vacuum cleaning mission,than if the pet area 620 includes a litter box. For instance, if the petarea 620 includes a pet door, the cleaning parameters can indicate wetcleaning.

The cloud-based computing system 140 transmits (656) a command to theautonomous cleaning robot 110, e.g., via a wired or wireless Internetconnection, to cause the autonomous cleaning robot 110 to execute acleaning mission according to the cleaning parameters. For instance, thecleaning parameters can instruct the autonomous cleaning robot 110 toperform specific cleaning tasks in the pet area 620. In some examples,the command can be transmitted at a scheduled time, such as based on atime delay after the pet has left the pet area 620.

In some examples, the cloud-based computing system 140 can check whetherthe scheduling parameters for the pet area cleaning mission conflictwith a previously scheduled cleaning mission. If the schedulingparameters for the pet area cleaning mission do conflict with apreviously stored schedule, the cloud-based computing system 140 cantransmit a notification to a mobile device 142 of a user of theautonomous cleaning robot 110 asking for a selection of either the petarea cleaning mission or the previously scheduled cleaning mission, orcan reschedule either the pet area cleaning mission or the previouslyscheduled cleaning mission without user input.

The autonomous cleaning robot 110 receives the command (658) and one ormore processors 112 of the autonomous cleaning robot 110 cause theautonomous cleaning robot 110 to execute (660) the cleaning missionaccording to the cleaning parameters. In some examples, followingcompletion of the cleaning mission, the autonomous cleaning robot 110can transmit a notification for presentation (662) on the mobile device142, e.g., via a wireless Internet connection or a short-rangecommunications protocol, indicative that the cleaning mission in the petarea 620 has been completed. In some examples, the autonomous cleaningrobot 110 can transmit a notification to the cloud-based computingsystem 140 indicative that the cleaning mission has been completed.

Referring to FIG. 7, in an example process flow for causing anautonomous cleaning robot 110 to execute a cleaning mission in a petarea 720, a sensor in the pet area senses (750) a characteristic of thepet area 720 indicative of pet activity in the pet area 720. Thecharacteristic of the pet area 720 can be, e.g., the presence of ananimal in the pet area, the motion of an animal entering or exiting thepet area, the presence of pet debris in the pet area, or anothercharacteristic. A signal is transmitted (752) from the pet area 720 tothe mobile device 142 of a user of the autonomous cleaning robot 110,e.g., via a wireless Internet connection or a short-range communicationsprotocol. In some examples, signals can be transmitted intermittently,e.g., when a sensor in the pet area 720 has sensed a characteristic(e.g., motion). In some examples, signals can be transmittedperiodically or streamed.

The mobile device 142 includes one or more processors 144 configured toexecute a mobile application 146 for presentation of schedulinginterfaces for the autonomous cleaning robot 110 on a display of themobile device 142. Based on the signal received by the mobile device 140from the pet area, information is displayed through the schedulinginterfaces of the mobile device 140. For instance, images of the petarea 720, timestamps at which motion of a pet door was detected, a graphshowing sensed weight of a litter box, or other information can bedisplayed. The user can review the displayed information and determinewhether the displayed information is indicative of pet activity in thepet area 720.

The user can input (754) a cleaning command into the mobile device 142.In some examples, the user can input the cleaning command by a physicalinteraction, such as a button or a touch screen display. In someexamples, the user can input a spoken cleaning command that can beprocessed by natural language processing to prepare the command. In someexamples, the cleaning command can be an indication that a cleaningmission should be executed by the autonomous cleaning robot 110. In someexamples, the cleaning command can specify one or more cleaningparameters for the cleaning mission, such as a start time, a duration, atype of cleaning, or another cleaning parameter.

A signal indicative of the cleaning command is transmitted (756) to thecloud-based computing system 140, e.g., via a wired or wireless Internetconnection. The cloud-based computing system 140 determines (758)cleaning parameters for the cleaning mission. In some examples, thedetermination of cleaning parameters can be based at least in part onthe cleaning parameters specified by the user-inputted cleaning command.The cloud-based computing system 140 transmits (760) a command to theautonomous cleaning robot 110, e.g., via a wired or wireless Internetconnection, to cause the autonomous cleaning robot 110 to execute acleaning mission according to the cleaning parameters. In some examples,the command can be transmitted at a scheduled time, such as based on atime delay after the pet has left the pet area 720.

The autonomous cleaning robot 110 receives the command (762) and the oneor more processors 112 of the autonomous cleaning robot 110 cause theautonomous cleaning robot 110 to execute (764) the cleaning missionaccording to the cleaning parameters. In some examples, followingcompletion of the cleaning mission, the autonomous cleaning robot 110can transmit (766) a notification to the mobile device 142, thecloud-based computing system 140, or both, indicative that the cleaningmission has been completed.

Referring to FIG. 8, in an example process for operating an autonomouscleaning robot, an indication of pet activity in a pet area is received(800) at a computing device, such as a cloud-based computing device or amobile device. The indication of pet activity can be received from oneor more sensors in the pet area.

A cleaning mission, including one or more cleaning parameters for thecleaning mission, is determined (802) for cleaning the pet area. Thecleaning parameters can include, e.g., a start time for the cleaningmission, a duration of the cleaning mission, a type of cleaning for thecleaning mission (e.g., vacuum cleaning or wet or dry mopping), or otherparameters. In some examples, the cleaning parameters can be providedthrough a mobile device, e.g., by a spoken input that is processed bythe mobile device or by the cloud-based computing device using naturallanguage processing. In some examples, the cleaning parameters can bedetermined by the cloud-based computing device, e.g., based on thenature of the pet area.

A transmission to the autonomous cleaning robot is initiated (804). Thetransmission includes data, such as a command, that cause the autonomouscleaning robot to initiate and execute (806) the cleaning missionaccording to the one or more cleaning parameters.

Referring to FIGS. 9A-9C, an example of an autonomous cleaning robot 900includes a chassis 910, a controller 920, memory 922, a battery 924, abattery charger 926, a human-machine interface (HMI) 928, a drive system930, a mapping/navigation system 940, a cleaning assembly 942, awireless communication system 950, an IR emitter 960, environmentalsensors 970A-H, a debris bin 942A (to store debris collected by acleaning operation), a bin level sensor 942B, a dirt extraction sensor942C (to detect the density of characteristics of the debris collectedby the cleaning operation), an indicator light 974A, an audio transducer974B, a ranging device 976, and a cleaning mode selection switch orbutton 974C.

The environmental sensors 970A-970H can include a camera 970B mounted ona top surface of the autonomous cleaning robot 900, as shown in the topperspective view of FIG. 9A. The camera 970B can be used to navigate theautonomous cleaning robot 900 and acquire images for other operationaluse. In some examples, the camera 970B can be a visual simultaneouslocation and mapping (VSLAM) camera and is used to detect features andlandmarks in the operating environment and build an occupancy map basedthereon.

As shown in the bottom perspective view of FIG. 9B, the autonomouscleaning robot 900 can include one or more of a bumper 904, cliffsensors 195A-195D, and an edge brush 911 mounted or otherwise positionedat a periphery of a housing 906 of the autonomous cleaning robot 900.The housing 106 is illustrated in FIGS. 9A-9B as having a squared frontsection on which the bumper 904 is mounted; however, the housing mayhave a rounded or circular shape in other embodiments. A caster wheel196 can be disposed on the underside of the autonomous cleaning robot900. In some examples, the caster wheel 196 can be positioned at anopposite end of the autonomous cleaning robot 900 than the cleaningassembly 942, with the drive rollers/tracks 932A, 932B therebetween,such that the cleaning assembly 942 is a cantilevered arrangement. Theautonomous cleaning robot 900 may also include downward- or floor-facingcamera 197. In some embodiments, the autonomous cleaning robot 900 maybe generally configured in the manner of or include features from theRoomba® floor cleaning robot and/or robots as described in U.S. Pat.Nos. 7,024,278 and 8,374,721, the disclosures of which are incorporatedherein by reference, with suitable modifications. In other embodiments,the autonomous cleaning robot 900 can be configured as an autonomouspatrolling robot that includes a telescoping mast having one or moreelements associated with the sensor elements 970A-H and/or the wirelesscommunication circuit or system 950 mounted thereon or otherwiseoperably associated therewith.

The controller 920 can include any suitably configured processor orprocessors. The processor(s) can include one or more data processingcircuits, such as a general purpose and/or special purpose processor(such as a microprocessor and/or digital signal processor) that may becollocated or distributed across one or more networks. The processor isconfigured to execute program code stored in the memory 922, e.g., acomputer readable storage medium, to perform some or all of theoperations and methods that are described above for one or more of theembodiments. The memory 922 is representative of the one or more memorydevices containing the software and data used for facilitatingoperations of the robot in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The memory 922 can include, but is not limited to,the following types of devices: cache, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash,SRAM, and DRAM. The processor is thus in communication with thecontroller 900, memory 922, the cleaning system 942 and drive system930.

The drive system 930 can include any suitable mechanism or system foractively and controllably transiting the autonomous cleaning robot 900through an environment (e.g., to and through a pet area). The drivesystem 930 can include a roller, rollers, track or tracks 932A, 932B andone or more onboard (i.e., carried by the autonomous cleaning robot 900)electric motors 934 operable by the controller 920 to convey theautonomous cleaning robot 900 across the floor of its operatingenvironment.

The service operation system 942 is operable to execute a serviceoperation in the living space 90. In some examples, the serviceoperation system 942 includes a floor cleaning system that cleans afloor surface of an environment (e.g., a pet area) as the autonomouscleaning robot 900 transits through the environment. In some examples,the service operation system 942 can include a suction head and anonboard vacuum generator to vacuum clean the floor. In some examples,the service operation system 942 can include an end effector such as(but not limited to) a sweeping or mopping mechanism, one or morerotating brushes, rollers, wet or dry stationary or oscillating and/orvibrating cloths, or multilayer pad assemblies.

The wireless communication system 950 includes a wireless communicationtransceiver or module 952 and an associated antenna 954 to enablewireless communication between the robot 900 and other connected devicesin the operating environment of the autonomous cleaning robot. Forexample, the wireless communication transceiver or module 952 may be aWi-Fi module.

A number of embodiments have been described. Nevertheless, it will beunderstood that various modifications may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention. For example, some of the stepsdescribed above may be order independent, and thus can be performed inan order different from that described.

Other implementations are also within the scope of the following claims.

1. (canceled)
 2. An autonomous cleaning robot comprising: a driveoperable to move the autonomous cleaning robot across a floor surface; acleaning assembly configured to clean the floor surface; and a vacuumconfigured to draw air into the autonomous cleaning robot, wherein ahousing of the autonomous cleaning robot is configured to form aconnection between the autonomous cleaning robot and a piece of petequipment.
 3. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 2, wherein thevacuum is configured to draw the air into the autonomous cleaning robotthrough the connection when the autonomous cleaning robot is connectedwith the piece of pet equipment.
 4. The autonomous cleaning robot ofclaim 2, wherein the housing of the autonomous cleaning robot isconfigured to form the connection by mating with a port on the piece ofpet equipment.
 5. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 2, wherein theair drawn into the autonomous cleaning robot is air from a generalvicinity of the piece of pet equipment or air internal to the piece ofpet equipment.
 6. The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 2, wherein thepiece of pet equipment is a litter box.
 7. The autonomous cleaning robotof claim 2, further comprising a filter positioned such that the airdrawn into the autonomous cleaning robot passes through the filter. 8.The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 2, further comprising: a receiverconfigured to receive an indication of pet activity in a pet area, and acontroller configured to control the autonomous cleaning robot to formthe connection between the autonomous cleaning robot and the piece ofpet equipment in response to the received indication of pet activity. 9.The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 8, wherein the controller isfurther configured to control the autonomous cleaning robot to perform afloor cleaning operation in the pet area.
 10. The autonomous cleaningrobot of claim 2, wherein the vacuum is configured to be operated at ahigher power level when the autonomous cleaning robot is connected withthe piece of pet equipment than during a floor cleaning operation.
 11. Asystem comprising: a piece of pet equipment; and an autonomous cleaningrobot comprising: a drive operable to move the autonomous cleaning robotacross a floor surface; a cleaning assembly configured to clean thefloor surface; and a vacuum configured to draw air into the autonomouscleaning robot, wherein a housing of the autonomous cleaning robot isconfigured to form a connection between the autonomous cleaning robotand the piece of pet equipment.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein thevacuum is configured to draw the air into the autonomous cleaning robotthrough the connection when the autonomous cleaning robot is connectedwith the piece of pet equipment.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein theair drawn into the autonomous cleaning robot is air from a generalvicinity of the piece of pet equipment or air internal to the piece ofpet equipment.
 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the autonomouscleaning robot further comprises: a receiver configured to receive anindication of pet activity in a pet area, and a controller configured tocontrol the autonomous cleaning robot to form the connection between theautonomous cleaning robot and the piece of pet equipment in response tothe received indication of pet activity.
 15. The system of claim 11,wherein the piece of pet equipment is a litter box.
 16. A methodperformed by an autonomous cleaning robot, the method comprising:navigating to a pet area; forming a connection with a piece of petequipment in the pet area; and operating a vacuum to draw air into theautonomous cleaning robot.
 17. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising: receiving an indication of pet activity in the pet area; andnavigating to the pet area responsive to receiving the indication of petactivity.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein operating the vacuumcomprises operating the vacuum at a higher power level than during afloor cleaning operation.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein operatingthe vacuum comprises drawing the air into the autonomous cleaning robotthrough the connection with the piece of pet equipment.
 20. The methodof claim 16, wherein operating the vacuum comprises drawing the air intothe autonomous cleaning robot from a general vicinity of the piece ofpet equipment or from internal to the piece of pet equipment.
 21. Themethod of claim 16, wherein forming a connection with the piece of petequipment comprises forming a connection with a litter box.